I Will Do Better in 2026

Some journeys weaken before they get stronger. Sometimes the numbers dip so that meaning can rise again. Looking back at the recent years, the picture is clear.

2023 recorded 76 hours and 662.2 kilometres.
2024 followed with 58 hours and 498 kilometres.
2025 now holds 39 hours and 328.6 kilometres.

This forms a downward slope, a slowing trend and a quieter effort. Yet it does not end here because the story does not stop at the lowest point. This is the point where it turns.

Whether average or fast, this was never about glory. It has always been about showing up, about not giving up and about the willingness to try again. In between those kilometres I remained healthy, still capable and still able to put one foot in front of the other. This was true even when conditions were not optimum, even when weight needed to come down and even when energy was not always present.

The year 2026 is not a restart. It is a continuation. It is the beginning of a smarter season, a clearer focus and a return to discipline.

2026 will see lighter steps, stronger lungs and a steadier pace. This will not happen because I will suddenly become someone else, but because I will honour the version of myself that kept moving even when motivation faded.

I will pick shorter distances and run them more consistently. I will sleep earlier and better so that recovery improves. I will lose the weight that has been waiting to go. I will build strength that makes running kinder. I will not chase old numbers. I will create new ones.

In 2026 nothing needs to be spectacular. It only needs to be better than before. That is enough.

There will be no competition, no scoreboard and no pace to beat. There will only be progress. It will be quiet, steady and visible.

It will happen one run at a time, one kilometre at a time and one decision at a time.

2026 will be the year of doing rather than wishing.
The year of movement rather than regret.
The year of intention rather than excuses.

When the numbers finally rise again, not to mirror 2023 and not to impress anyone, but simply to reflect effort, I will know that I did better than the old me. And that alone will be victory.

3 Powerful Lessons All Runners Can Take from UTMB 2023

Photo: UTMB

The article "3 Powerful Lessons All Runners Can Take from UTMB 2023" discusses three valuable lessons for runners from the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) race:

1. Sometimes you need to try a few times to get it right

2. Tears are always justified

3. Accepting help is important

These lessons from UTMB 2023 can inspire and benefit all runners participating in any distance races.

Appreciating Life's Blessings: A Reminder for All of Us

During my morning run, I met Mr. Takalah Tan. I had not known him before today, but he shared with me his experience of a traffic accident that could have ended his life. The aftermath of the accident resulted in half of his brain being damaged, and he lost sight in one eye. Despite this, he demonstrated his will to live and fighting spirit by obtaining two additional academic degrees and completing the recently organized Standard Chartered Half Marathon.

This is yet another wake-up call to remind all of us to cherish what we have in our daily lives. If he can do it, what excuse do we have for not doing what we need to do?

For more info, you can read them here:

https://saltandlight.sg/christmas/an-accident-so-horrific-he-lost-half-his-brain/

https://saltandlight.sg/christmas/disfigured-broken-and-brain-damaged-but-he-still-says-it-happened-for-a-good-purpose/

Happy 2023! It's gonna be higher registration fees for running events in Singapore

Happy New Year! I wish you good health and many personal bests for the year to come.

Recently, Sundown Marathon Signapore announced that registration for their marathons has begun. If you're interested in participating, you can register on their official website.

Initially, I was interested in participating in the 21 km category, but after seeing the price, I think I will skip this event and look for cheaper races. Oh, I emailed Sundown on December 18th to inquire about this event, but they ignored me. I guess it's normal for event organizers to ignore such emails, though.

Anyway, I've compiled the prices for three recent running events for your quick comparison before you sign up for any. It's worth noting that registration fees for running events have consistently increased, possibly due to inflation and the GST hike. 

With higher registration prices, we should be more selective when choosing the races we want to participate in.

For your information:

There are only two marathon distances in Singapore: the Standard Chartered Marathon and Sundown Marathon. The former is a morning marathon, and the latter is a night marathon.

If I recall correctly, the cost for running events prior to the pandemic was around this range:

42 km - $2+ per km

21 km - $3+ per km

10 km - $4+ per km"

Regards

Recap: Salomon Rail Forest Run 25km run

I participated in the Salomon Rail Forest Run on November 5th, 2020 as a lead-up training to better prepare myself for the Singapore Marathon, which will be held on the first Sunday of December 2022. I underestimated the run, as the weather and terrain were tough, especially since I had not logged enough running mileage in the past few months. Additionally, I was unfamiliar with the route as it was the first time I had ever run on the entire rail corridor. Despite these challenges, I managed to complete the 25km run, although I had an embarrassing positioning of 80 percentile (188 out of 237 participants, and 148 out of 185 males).

I have to give a shout out to the volunteers who were very supportive and helpful throughout the run! When I spoke to some of them, they had been there as early as 3:30am and their spirits were not broken by the weather! Ultimately, this run did prepare me better for the Singapore Marathon in 2022, rain or shine. 

You can watch the video to get a feel for my running experience on that day (pun intended).

References:

http://railforestrun.com/

https://time.raceya.fit/leaderboard/salomonrailforestrun2/25km-Challenge

Recap: Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2022

I participated in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2022 (SCSM 2022) on 4 December 2022. This is my longest run since the start of the pandemic in 2020 and I was very excited to participate in the event. But my target was to complete the run by 6:30 hour. I have never been a good runner and the longest distance I had ran this year was 25 km only. 

Race Entry Pack Collection (REPC) from 1 to 3 Dec 22

I visited REPC on the first day and collected my race entry pack without any fuss. i.e. to say, the collection process were simple and smooth!  It has been some time I have visited REPC/Race Expo. I took the opportunity to shop for sports apparels to replace my ageing items. I was tempted to purchase other merchandise/gadgets but I only purchased a pair of tights that I needed. 

Preparations on 3 Dec (Sat)

It is common ritual for runners to carbo load and lay our their running equipment a day before an event. I am not indifferent and did the same ritual. i.e. All my items were laid out, and I had pizzas for dinner. Also I went to bed at 9 pm but spend a few hours tossing before I manage to catch some sleep.

 

Singapore Marathon 2022 on 4 Dec 2022 (Sun)

My phone was set to wake me up at 2am on Sunday, but I manage to wake up by myself at 1:50am. I went for a quick shower, prepared myself and kissed my wife goodbye before I make my way to the race village. 

I arrived at race village at at 3:30am, went for a final pee and went to the starting point (Pen G)

The run was delayed due to the sudden downpour just when we were about to flag off. The flag time was delayed for several times. Thankfully, the event organiser decided to proceed on with the event after an hour. Pen A was flagged off at 5:30am, Pen B at 5:31, Pen C onwards was a "rolling flag off". 

  

Besides the rain, there were nothing unexpected from running a Singapore Marathon. i.e. overcrowding due to sharing of route for marathoners and half-marathoners, hot weather in the late morning and the run up Benjamín shears bridge. Somehow, I was feeling kinda happy as I was able to run alongside with other runners, enjoying the street performers/cheer groups and was soaked in positivity from the volunteers. 

I was happy that I completed the run before 6 hour net timing. This was despite the fact that I was suffering from a dizzy spell due to the heat after 30km mark but I managed to recover from it. 

After thoughts  

Looking back, my stats for this run was rather unimpressive and my placing for this event was 3,649 out of 5,771. 

I am an untalented runner who could never run any faster, but I love to run. So, if my time permits, I will still sign up and go for the next marathon run again. 

So I would like to wish you to have a great running journey ahead, and always remember my mantra - "To Complete, and not Compete!"

See you in my next blog posting! :)

References:
1. https://singaporemarathon.com/
2. https://www.sportsplits.com/races/singapore-marathon-2022/events/1/results/individuals/13054/

Signing Up for Singpaore Marathon 2022

After 2.5 years of pandemic, the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore (also know as the Singapore Marathon 2022) is finally back. This will be the first marathon to be held locally and I have already signed up for the marathon event.

With less than 6 months to the event, it is probably time to recover from the persistent C+ cough and then put on my training gears and start to warm up my rusty engine for this event.  I hope I can be present for the event and complete the entire race on 4 Dec 2022. Targeting a 6 hours completion time should be decent since I have not be running such long distance for many years.

Stay tune for more updates on my preparations and training for SCMS.  

Source : https://singaporemarathon.com/

Struggled to Pass Annual Fitness Test 2022

Passing fitness test this year was indeed not an easy feat. This is especially so when I was infected with the COVID virus on 23 May 2022, It took me 10 days to recover, but the recovery after that was not as smooth as many have claimed to be. 

On 2 Jun 2022, I ran a 2.4km run to assess the damage done to my physical condition. Horror to say, I immediately felt breathless and was coughing right at the start of the run. I clocked an embarrassing timing 15:12min.  

I knew that am not definitely not in the right condition to participate in a test in the near future. This left me with no choice but to postpone my fitness test from mid Jun to end Jun. 

Meanwhile, I trained almost daily in hope to regain my endurance and speed. The effort put in did not commensurate with the gain. 

End June came with a blink of an eye and the day to take my fitness test arrived. I remembered vividly that it was a sunny morning and I knew that I was still not ready for the test. I told myself that I should pass the test first and then tried for a better result in the future. But I was rather stubborn and overzealous and went all out. The run was painful as I was literally breathless at the mid distance and had to walk for a lap or two to catch my breath, I ended up clocking 12:32min but I obtained a marginal gold award . I was contended with the results but I was totally exhausted from the test. A day after the test, I remembered that I was so exhausted that I was unable to wake up on time to  go for work. This was something rare was I have a habit to wake up very early in the morning. 

3 days after my fitness test on 1 July 2022, I fell ill for Fever, Headache and Sore throat one more time. It is as if some virus is still residing in my body and took the opportunity to attack me when overly exerted my body. Thankfully that I was AG- this time round.

Thinking back, trying for the fitness test was totally not worth it as the recovery process from COVID for every individual are different. I guess I probably belong to the minority group who have difficulty getting back to their active life. Even till date, I can still feel that I have difficulty inhaling fully and my left chest seems to be tighter than usual. If I would give myself a score from 1 to 10 on my stamina before and after COVID, it should be a 3 or 4.

Enough excuses and I probably should do my rehab to regain my endurance back soon. 

To those active runners out there, do cater sufficient time to regain your health before trying out something strenuous. Take care and stay safe. 

Goodbye Nike Infinity FlyKnit and Welcome Saucony Endorphin Speed 2

I had to replace my shoes as they are getting uncomfortable. 

They lasted for 1.5years and accumulated a total of 1,400km.

Gotten a pair of Saucony Endorphin Speed 2 and hope it can last me for 1,500km. :)

 

IPPT Training in Progress (Live Document)

70 points [Pass] for 1st Fitness Gauge on 26 Apr 22= 38PU (21pt)+ 40SU (22pt) + 14:20min (27pt)

79 points [Silver] for 2nd Fitness Gauge on 16 May 22= 44PU (23pt) + 47SU (24pt) + 13:35min (32 pts)

81 points [Silver] for 3rd Fitness Gauge on 19 May 22 = 44PU (23pt) + 45SU (23pt) + 12:53min (35 pts)

1 day after recovering from AG+... 

2 Jun 22 = 44PU + 44 SU + 15:13min

Improving Fitness during Endemic 2022

It has been more than two years that I had live a more sedentary life. This was largely due to the change in work environment and also trying to be extremely safe during the recent pandemic. 

For the first year, I was able to maintain a not-too-bad fitness. Instead of taking part in actual races, I turned to virtual race events to maintain my fitness. My fitness for the second year was much of a struggle as my lifestyle has been confined to my work station. Also, I am no longer excited in virtual races and stopped participating in them.

2022 will be the year whereby the pandemic would become endemic and we would be expected to return back to normalcy. At this moment, there is still no sign of any physical races to be organized in the near future. So my focus for now is to clear my annual fitness test first. 

Also, I discovered that I have gained much weigh and my fitness level is not as good as I used to be. I aim to clear my fitness test by mid Jun. I plan to concentrate on physical training for the next 2 months. I am targeting to obtain minimally 85 points - i.e. 47 push up (24 points), 47 sit up (24 points) and 12:30min run  (37 points).  Importantly, I need to remind myself that I am not younger anymore and i cant afford to get myself injured until I have cleared my test.

So I wish myself all the best.  

p/s - this website has a good wallet size score card according to your age group. Else, you can refer to the official website for the actual scorings. 

Finisher of Shiok! 200km Virtual Challenge Race 2020

INTRODUCTION

The Shiok! 200km Run/Walk/Hike Virtual Challenge starts from 21 Dec 2020 and ends on 31 Jan 2021. I have participated and completed this challenge. While the elites had  completed this event using 1 run, I had done so by accumulating my mileages over 11 days. 

In the post, I will shared on my additional secret ingredients, as most of my strategies were rather similar to the one I had shared previously :

INGREDIENT #1 - SETTING STRETCHED BUT REALISABLE TARGET 

In my last 100 mile virtual challenge, I managed to complete it within 2 weeks with 14 runs.

As such, I told myself that I should try something more challenging - i.e. to complete the entire event within 14 days (~14.2km daily). But in the end, I stretched my target even further and completed the challenge in 11 days with 12 runs from 21 to 31 Dec 2020. 

INGREDIENT #2 - DO LONGER MILEAGE SLOW-SLOWLY 

I considered myself as one of those runners who lack speed, endurance and the gift to recover fast. And in order to complete this challenge, my strategy was to run every run within my aerobic heart rate zone and hope that I will not experience any "burnt-out" from the runs.

While this strategies worked most of the time, I had to say that I am rather ill-discipline as I had gave chase at "rabbits" on several occasions. 

INGREDIENT #3 - MAINTAINING MY BODY WEIGHT FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE

While running slow-slowly may be a good idea, it inevitable increased the duration needed to complete the runs. Thus potentially result in more muscle/fibre tear, loss of more body fluids and other physically damage. I was very cautious and was very attentive in maintaining my body weight and consumed more food/water intake during this challenge. The outcome was that my body weight remained the same from the start till the end of the my challenge.

INGREDIENT #4 - CHOOSE A GOOD ROUTE NEAR YOUR HOUSE 

For this challenge, I had chosen Woodland Ave 12 as it is much flatter and it is approx 3 km per loop. Also, the amenities (such as toiler and water points) at Sembawang Hotspring Park aided me as I do not need need to carry excess water, and provided me with comfort whenever I need to offload some body weight in times of emergency  (errr...you know what i mean).

Toilet & Water Point @ SBW Hotspring Park  

INGREDIENT #4 - MOTIVATIONS FROM FELLOW CRAZY PEOPLE

It is true that you can run longer when you run together. Most of time, I will run past the regular 5am runners/cyclists and exchange greetings with them. And sometimes, you will meet your friends from your neighbourhood and they will run alongside with you. :)

P/S - It is quite scary when a lady runner (with make up) ran past you in the early morning... I had difficulty differentiating human and hantu...  Seriously, is there a need to make up for such an early run?

Bumped into Alex and he paced me.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I am contended to complete this event within the stipulated time. As COVID-19 SMM would probably continue in 2021 (and beyond), I hope that Running Guide would continue to organise such challenges virtually. But, I hope that they will organise a 100 km challenge after May/Jun. I hope to be re-certify myself as a Craze-Ultra Nut Runner.  

In any case, that's all folks.  It's time for me to be a couch potato until the next season starts.

See you and may you have a wonderful running year ahead!

 

Preparing for Virtual Challenge for Shiok! 200km (21 Dec 20 - 31 Jan 21)

 Reference: Shiok! 200km Virtual Challenge

After completing the inaugural 100 miles virtual challenges in Oct/Nov 20, I wilk be back for more punishments in the "Shiok! 200km Virtual Challenge" from 21 Dec 20 to 31 Jan 21. The challenge's format will remain similar as the last event (i.e. run X km in one go or accumulate X km in multiple go). 

This time round, I will use the long festive weekends to run as "long" as possible. My "stretched" plan will be as such:

Week 1

21 Dec [Mon] - 2.5 hr

22 Dec [Tue] - Rest

23 Dec [Wed] - 2.5 hr

24 Dec [Thu] - 2.5 hr

25 Dec [Fri]  - 2.5 hr

26 Dec [Sat] - Rest

27 Dec [Sun] -2.5 hr

Week 2

28 Dec [Mon] - Rest

29 Dec [Tue] - 3 hr

30 Dec [Wed] - Rest

31 Dec [Thu]  -3 hr

1 Jan [Fri] - 3 hr

2 Jan [Sat] - 3 hr

3 Jan[Sun] - 3 hr

 

In the event I am unable to clock the required mileages in the first 2 weeks, then I will be making up the distances in Week 3 and 4.

HAPPENINGS AFTER MY PREVIOUS RUNS

31 Oct - Finally found some time after go for my #52 blood donation at the Westgate Blood bank. Basically, I have to time my blood donation properly as I tend to take longer time for recovery (i.e. after 100miles virtual challenge). My next blood donation will be in mid Jan before I continue to train for my fitness test in Apr 2021.

 

22 Nov - Finally decided to replace my old tires after accumulating ~1,500km on my running shoes. Hoping that the nike infinity run flyknit can last me until the next Craze Ultra 2021.

1 to 7 Dec (14 to 21 Days) before Virtual Challenge, I participated in the OurArmyFamilyRun 5.5km, but instead of the said distance, i ran 55km within 6 runs. This will help me to better prepare for the 200km challenge.

8 to 21 Dec

Core Strengthening, "NUA", recover and waiting for the Shiok! Virtual Challenge.

Finisher of 100 Miles Challenge Race (Virtual Edition) 2020

I may not be the Fastest, Talented, or Fittest, but I think I may be one of the more determined sane nuts to participate in this 100 Miles Challenge 2020 (Virtual Edition)

The journey began on 12 Oct 2020 and the participants were given 35 days to complete this challenge. Some powerhouses completed their distances within a go, but the majority completed or will be completing it by installments. I belonged to the second category.

My principal consideration for this challenge is that my participation must not impact my working hour, family time or event the time that I need to perform any other essential tasks. And it would seem that only time that I could afford to sacrifice is ......... my non-sleeping hours.

And here I go, carried out with my plan as if it is a military operation order, waking up at the wee hour every morning (about 4 am+) and attempted to clock back-to-back 10 km+ runs for 2 weeks or more.

Doing Back-to-Backs runs are very psychically exhausting, on Day 11, I noticed that I could no longer carry on with this regime and had to take that morning off for a quick active recovery session. Thankfully, I was about to recover quick enough to clock more mileages on the same evening and the remaining days. 

Everyday, I ran by feel, adapted myself to the runs and ran further. For a good 13 days since 12 Oct, I have accumulated enough mileages to be qualified as a finisher. On 24 Oct, the 100 miles challenge Race Director emailed to inform that he had verified my running logs and Congratulated me for a job well done. I am so proud that I was able to complete this event. 

SOME REFLECTIONS

Succeed to Plan, and Plan to Succeed, Adjustment to the Plan is a Continuous Process 

My original plan was to complete this challenge within 16 days (i.e. running ~10 km daily). Subsequently, I decided to stretch it and try to complete the event within 2 weeks (i.e. 11.5km or more mileages on the weekends. This would means that I would need to cock an additional 10 kms on the weekends to accumulate 80 km weekly mileages.

Establishing Self-Awareness and Self-Discipline

Running back-to-back daily is no simple affair for the average Joe as it is rather demanding physically and mentally. This was made worst as I did not train as much as previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Slowly down is also and important step in order to preserve energy to the new few runs too. On days that I think i can run faster, I kept reminded myself to slow down as any foolish now will jeopardise my mission. 

Also, I took really good care of myself for the weeks leading to the event. This was in hope that I will not fall sick before or during the event. Some of the care include (1) sleeping earlier than usual in order to wake up on time for runs, (2) slow down to a comfortable pace in order to sustain for my subsequent runs, (2) took multi-vitamins and anti-inflammatory supplements (such as Omega-3) as a form of precautionary measures.

Remember to Draw Inspiration from Social Media during this COVID-19 Pandemic

Without seeing and communicating with real participants, this event became a fairly boring and quiet challenge. I missed the cheering from the volunteers at the aid stations and the passions from the fellow ultra-runners. Now, the only place that kept me going is the Strava "100 Miles Challenge Group" that was created to track the participants' progress. And seeing these crazy elites completing 100 miles in a go (or 2) truly amazed me, it also inspired me to continue to persist on no doubt that I am just the average "Simon".

CONCLUSION

Participating in this challenge was demanding physiologically, but I thought that I had enjoyed it as it has been a fun and challenging journey. Let's hope COVID-19 pandemic will be over soon and we can take part in real runs in the near future.

I hope that  Running Guide will resume that 101 km Craze Ultra in 2021. 

For now, I hope you guys will stay safe and take care of yourself. See you again when we can start running together!